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STEPHEN SIDNEY WOOD, 03F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

lM-PRlovElvr-ENr rNa arteria-:NG-MACHINES-g Specification forming partof Letters Pat-ent No. 109,480, dated November 22, 1870.

.To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN SInNEnWooD, ot' Brooklyn, in the county ofKings and` State of New Yorlqhave invented a new and ImprovedDitehing-Machine; andl Ij do hereby declare that the following is afull',.cl"ea-r, andexact description thereof, which will` enable: othersskilled in the art to make andi use the same, reference being hadto theaccompanying drawing, forming part ot` this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in ditching-machines; andconsistsv in a set of scoops or spades'mounted; on endless beltsso.arranged on rollers or drums near the front of a frame or carriage ofpeculiar construction workin g on two wheels, fore and-aft, andfpartlyslid-ing along the bottom of the ditch cut, that the said spades, beingrotated by gearing'conneeted with one of the wheels ofthe truck, willscoop up the earth inadva-nce of the frame thrown infront of them by oneof the Sides, which cuts oil' a stri-p of earth along the bank of afurrow made by a common plow, and throws it in advance of the spades,which carry it upwardA and backward', and deliver it previous to passingover the upper roller to an endless belt, which moves up an obliquetrough, inclined a-lso to one side, and provided with adischarging-brush workin-g obliquely across the top, to throw the earthsufciently away that none will fall inl the ditch.

The spades are hinged to the endless belts, and have brackets acting ona belt or rail to tilt them into the right position forl engaging theearth for taking it up but they are so arranged as to allow them to betilt-ed by gravity for discharging atthe upper end;

The frame on which the spades work is capable ofA rising at both thelower and' upper ends, or either, to relieve the spades in case ofstriking against stones, roots, or other obstructions.

Figure l is a side view oti'm-y .improved ma/ chine, partly insection-.- Fig. 2Pis arplauV View of--the same. Fig. 3 is a sideelevation, hei/ng the reverse of Fig. y1 g and Fig. 4 is a pa/rtiallongitudinal section.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A is a long narrow frame, preferably made of metal, mounted on the frontwheel, B, capab-l'e oi vertical adjustment, and the rear wheel, G, whichis larger than- B, and provided with ,the points 13,01*, it may be,other suitable means, for causing the necessary traction for it to drivethe endless chains or belts E, carryling thek spades FV and theelevators G; also, the discharging-brush Hf, which it does through :themedium ofthe train ot gear-wheels I, or, itv may be, any other suitablearrangement of gearing. This frame A supports the vertical cutters Kl`uwhi"ch project downward the one from the right and the rother fromtheleft sid-e,

a short distance behind the wheel B, about asv l'ow as the bottom of it,which are intended- (especially the one K) for cutting a furrow or slicefrom the land at the side of a furrow previously made by a plow, andthrowing :it 'in- Ward in advance of the spades, to4 be taken up by themalong the inclined plate-L, uniti-ng the twovertica-l cutters near thebottom,

The lower drum, O, for the endless belts E, carrying the spades, ismounted in boxesl?, arrangedin curved supports QB, formed on linesstruck from the axis of wheel S as a center,v which wheel gears with thewheel T onthe axis of the lower drum of the endless elevator G., andwith the wheel U on said lower drum-shaft through the medium of theidler The shaft of the upper drum, W, is mounted in the frame X',connected to the axle of drum 0.. Itis also connected at one endin aneye, y, in tho- *30p ot' lod,.z, passing down at the outside ofthe rightside N, through a rib, A', and resting on a projection, B. There is acoiled' spring, C', placed on this rod, connected to the ribA, and tothe said axle of drum W, which turns freely on the axle. The coiledsprings k hold the drum O down in the lowest position. This arrangementnot only allows the lower drum to swing up around the axis of S, in caseof stones or other obstructions being encountered ,by the spades, butthe upper one may swing around the axis of the lower drum, and the twomovements takin g place together admits of the drums and spades movingupward, all together, away from the obstructions.

D' is a small roller or drum mounted in arms E', projecting from theframe X into the path of belts E, or nearly so, near the upper end andlower side, for carrying a belt, F', working over the lower drum, O, ator about the center, which is designed as a guide for the lugs G of thespades, to hold them in the right position for taking the earth andcarrying it up the plate L. Y

The spades are tilted into the right position by coming in contact withthe bent `trippingplate H1 when in the downward movement ou the upperside. This tripper is preferably used when the belt E' is used; but whena fixed bar is used this is not necessary, as the bar will perform thesame function, which the belt will not.

As soon as the spades pass the'ledge I' they are carried beyond the beltF' at the upperend, and are then tilted back by their own gravity andthat of the earth on them, as shown, for discharging. Instead of thisbelt F' and the drums, as here shown, for guiding the spades, I mayemploy a fixed guide, formed by a flat bar or the like.

The sides N, between which the elevator G works, being arrangedobliquely to the vertical plane ofthe frame of the machine makes itnecessary to arrange the lower drum of the said elevator oblique to thesaid frame in like manner, and the upper one is arrangedcorrespondinglythat is, perpendicular to the vertical planes of the saidsides N.

At the top of the elevator, and above the upper drum thereof, is therotary brush H, before mentioned, which is arranged obliquely to theelevator, being turned to the right of its vertical plane, as afurthermeans of throwing the earth olf on one side of the ditch. Below thebrush is a discharge-spout, H2, arranged perpendicular to the frame.This brush is operated by a cord, M', driven byV the upper drum of theelevator. This roller is mounted in bearings capable of adjustment to orfrom the lower drum, for regulating the tension of the belt by theaction of screws N', placed below them; and in order that the adjustingof the said upper drum shall not vary the tension of belt M, thesupports of the brush are attached to the bearings of the roller to movewith them, and the said supports are braced by the arms P', extendingalong the sides N, and supported thereon by pins workingiin slots, asishown, which admit of their proper movement. The machine is guided byhandles X'.

It is intended in using this machine to irst plow a furrow along theline of the intended ditch with a common plow, and then, after thefurrow turned up is 'scraped away, run the machine in the groove formedthereby, for which it is made sufficiently narrow, except at the pointbetween the cutters, by which the cutter K will be forced into the landand cut a strip therefrom, which it will turn over in advance of thespades, to be taken up by them then another furrow is made in the bottomof the ditch thus formed and the machine run back, taking a slice fromthe other side, which is delivered on the opposite bank in like manner.These operations are continued until the ditch is made as broad and deepas requiredsay about three feet deep by two broad at the top and one atthe bottom.

The machine is easily worked by reason of the opening and loosening ofthe earth bein g done partly beforehand by the common plow and partly bythe cutter K, which having the action of a plow and throwing down theearth along the side of the furrow, the earth becomes loosened thereby,and is easily taken up by the spades without much strain on them.

Having thus described my invention, Iclaim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. The combination of the spades F, endless belts E,elevators G, and dischargingbrush H, the said elevators and brush beingarranged obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the machine,substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the guide belt F', brackets G', spades F, and atripper, the latter being either a plate, H1, or the guide-bar itself,when a fixed bar is used, substantially as specified.

3. The drum O, mounted in the curved bearings P and supports Q R for thesame, and the supporting frame X of drum W, mounted on the shaft of drumC, and all operated substantially as specified.

4. The combination of the supports O' P' of the brush H with theadjustable bearings of the tightening drum of the elevator, allsubstantially as specified.

The above specification of my invention signed by me this 22d day ofAugust, 1870.

STEPHEN S. WOOD.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. MABEE, ALEX. F. ROBERTS.`

